.I know the people over on the Chameleon Forum encourage catching wildcaught insects for chams. I was kinda shocked when I read this because I always thought it wasnt good because of parasites.So now if I can catch stuff in my yard(pesticide free) I feed them to my lizards(chameleon, beardie,leopard gecko)..But watch out for fireflies they are dangerous to beardies I know but not sure about the other lizards.
wild caught insects are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy better for your animals than commercial insects - just be sure you know what you're feeding is safe (as stated above fireflies are no no's)
thats great to know i catch lil grasshoppers here everywhere i live in cali im pretty sure theres no fireflys around here
I generally believe that wild caught (pesticide free) insects are a much better food source. My only worry is introducing parasites, bacteria, etc that the lizard has never been exposed to. It is incredibly easy to grow your own soldier fly larvae (Phoenix worms). This would give you a near endless supply of one of the best reptile foods available.
haha, there's no fireflys in cali (im there too) thigs like earwigs, isopds (rollie pollies) are fine and have a much higher nutritional content than could be acheived by gutloading crickets
They are the "brand name" of the soldier fly larvae. If you google soldier fly larvae you should be able to find a lot of info. This blog may help as well. http://blacksoldierflyblog.com/
Soldier grubs are a good feeder nutritionally, but arent the most exciting thing to watch your animals eat
One thing to be careful of would be if your town or county "sprays" or treats or if there are farms in your area where farmers may spray, crop dust, etc.... I can't catch anything wild and feed it to my geckos because long island has a severely bad mosquito problem, because of that and the diseases that are spread through mosquitoes the county sprays and actually gives out tickets for standing water on your property. So be VERY careful of catching your own. If you can though, go for it!
im in the desert country away from a lot of things no pesticides for a long time besides few years ago for an ant problem round my house
wild caught food is a tasty treat for a reptile, but you have to be careful about parasites and pesticides. I wouldn't recommend it.
i dont trust wild caught bugs, you dont know what they are infected with, have on them, or have eaten. i much prefer captive bred bugs from a good source or to breed my own so i know they are clean
A couple of additional warnings: You might want to consider looking at a field guide or something to that nature for details on the invertebrates you might collect in your area to ensure that they are not toxic or the things they eat are not. Obviously make sure whatever you collect does not have bright warning coloration, stingers, etc. Here's why I bring this up... Earthworms contain a chemical in them that negatively effects bearded dragons. It's been observed that bearded dragons who consume earthworms have a tendency of losing feeling and control of their back legs, essentially leading to parapalegia. Grubs are also commonly seen as pests in nature and often consume rotting things (wood, animal matter, etc) rather than the nice things we feed them in captivity. As the others said, being a pest means they are a target in many areas for annihilation by pesticides. Also, the Goliath Hornworm is a prime example of the next point. They are an increasingly popular feeder in the hobby but can only be fed on a special diet in captivity if they are to be used as a feeder. In nature, they consume tobacco, tomato, and pepper plants. These plants contain toxins in them that are deadly for small animals, and can lead to illness and death to a reptile if a wild hornworm was collected and fed. This happens with a number of moth and butterfly larvae in addition to some other insects, so it would be wise to only collect things you've looked into and are 110% sure are safe. And do be sure that the collection area is safe as suggested already. Keep in mind that many insects, particularly those that can fly, can cover a LOT of ground.
i cant get any captive bugs till the weekend...would it be better to just feed them the wild caught till then or just wait and avoid the risk?
It's entirely up to you, really. Any herp will have no problem waiting a few days for a meal with absolutely no ill effects whatsoever. But if you have a collecting area that you are 100% confident is safe to gather from and the species you are collecting are safe to feed, some wild caught insects can be nutritionally beneficial and help to add variety to the diet.
I think if you stick with insect you know like you said, moths, grasshoppers, rolypolys(isopods) and crickets you'll probably be okay.Ive heard earthworms can carry alot of parasites so Id avoid those and anything brightly colored..Also those big field crickets that are black can bite so watch out(assuming you have them there)..
I've fed my gecko winged ants before because they were invading my house, but generally I avoid wild bugs because I fear that they may carry bad germs. I can't say I trust my local pet store's crickets either, which is why I am trying to breed my own meal worms.
